TN ammonia leak: Patients being treated in city, Tiruvallur, private hospitals

CHENNAI: Nearly 20 workers, who were severely affected by the ammonia gas leak at a private seafood processing unit in Tiruvallur, are undergoing treatment at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) and Stanley Medical College Hospital.

Most of them at both hospitals are on ventilator support and under constant monitoring by doctors and medical officials.

Speaking to DT Next, a woman affected by the gas leak said, “I had been working at the seafood unit for a year. I belong to a remote village in Tiruvallur. On Sunday, we experienced severe suffocation, and within minutes, everyone started coughing and choking.”

Beside her, a middle-aged woman was also undergoing treatment, who anticipates recovering sooner, piped in: “The incident is a shock for most of us. Losing a few of our colleagues is painful. The doctors haven’t confirmed when I can be discharged, but I anticipate recovering soon and returning home.”

The death toll from the ammonia gas leak has reached eight, as of Monday evening. While more than 30 patients are in ICUs in Chennai and Tiruvallur, the remaining (over 50) are undergoing treatment at a private hospital.